She-bolt and torque wrench assembly

ABSTRACT

A cooperating she-bolt and torque wrench assembly wherein the she-bolt is provided inwards of its outer extremity with a flat web and the torque wrench is forked so that it may be caused to straddle the web. A crank arm on the torque wrench facilitates spinning of the wrench for the purpose of unthreading the shebolt from its associated tie rod when the latter is embedded in a mass of poured concrete.

United States Patent Inventor George J. Eriksson Morton Grove, 111.

App]. No. 848,481

Filed Aug. 8, 1969 Patented Jan. 11, 1972 Assignee Superior ConcreteAccessories, Inc.

Franklin Park, 111.

SHE-BOLT AND TORQUE WRENCH ASSEMBLY 1 Claim, 11 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 249/213, 25/131 T, 249/40, 249/42, 249/190 Int. Cl E04g 17/08Field of Search... 25/131 T; 254/29, 67;81/1 19, 120, 121 B;249/213,216, 217, 40, 42, 43, 46,190

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1922 Mueller 111/121 1,831,15311/1931 Williams 249/42 2,001,052 5/1935 Colt 249/217 2,106,712 2/1938Bertrand 81/121 B 2,358,555 9/1944 Blanchard 81/121 B 2,503,364 4/1950Viets 81/121 2,646,703 7/1953 Erbe 249/213 X 3,013,323 12/1961 Williams25/131 T Primary ExaminerRobert D. Baldwin Assistant Examiner-Ben D.Tobor Attorney-Norman H. Gerlach ABSTRACT: A cooperating she-bolt andtorque wrench assembly wherein the she-bolt is provided inwards of itsouter extremity with a flat web and the torque wrench is forked so thatit may be caused to straddle the web. A crank arm on the torque wrenchfacilitates spinning of the wrench for the purpose of unthreading theshe-bolt from its associated tie rod when the latter is embedded in amass of poured concrete.

PATENTEI] mu 1 1972 31633.86?

SHEET 1 BF 2 SHE-BOLT AND TORQUE WRENCH ASSEMBLY The present inventionrelates generally to concrete wall forms and has particular reference toa novel combination or assembly of a she-bolt and a torque wrench. bymeans of which the she-bolt may, by a spinning or turning operation, beunscrewed or unthreaded from its associated tie rod after the latter hasbecome embedded in a mass of concrete after pouring of the latter in thespace between the sides of a concrete wall form.

According to the present invention, the she-boltis of specialconstruction, it being provided with a buttontype head at its outer endand such head being established by the provision of a pair of opposedrelief areas a slight distance inwards from the outer extremity of theshe-bolt. The relief areas serve a dual function. In the concrete wallform installation, they are adapted to receive therein a fork-type wedgewhich exerts a spreading action against the button-type head and theassociated concrete wall from side, thus fastening the she-bolt to theform side as is customary in the art. According to the presentinvention, the relief areas also are designed for cooperation with aspecial torque wrench by means of which the she-bolt may be unthreadedfrom its associated concrete embedded tie rod after the concrete whichis poured between the opposed, spaced-apart concrete wall form sides hasbecome hardened and the wedge removed from its operative position inorder to permit of dismantlement of the wall form. Toward this end, theaforementioned relief areas form a flat web which is capable ofreceiving in straddling relationship a conventional fork-type wedge inconnection with use of the she-bolt and after use of the she-bolt iscapable of receiving the forked end of the special torque wrench in sucha manner as to establish a driving connection between the wrench andshe-bolt to the end that when the wrench is rotated under the influenceof an associated crank arm and about the longitudinal axis of theshe-bolt the latter is unscrewed from the concrete embedded tie rod towhich the she-bolt was originally attached. STill further, according tothe present invention, the she-bolt and torque wrench are so designedfor cooperation with each other that, after initial application of thewrench to the she-bolt for torque application and prior to the actualapplication of torque, the wrench and she-bolt become interlockedagainst accidental separation to the end that the operator may, ifnecessary or desired, release the torque wrench and the latter will notfall from its thus installed position on the she-bolt but will remain ina hung position, so to speak, to allow the operator to shift from onehand to the other for manipulative purposes, to change his position on ascaffold or ladder, or to momentarily leave the scene of application,for example. By the same token, the interlocking relationship which isestablished upon initial application of the torque wrench to theshe-bolt also prevents inadvertent separation of the wrench from theshe-bolt during high-speed spinning or turning of the wrench andshe-bolt while unthreading of the she-bolt from the associated concreteembedded tie rod, all in a manner that will become clear when the natureof the invention is better understood.

The provision of a she-bolt and torque wrench combination or assemblysuch as has briefly been outlined above constitutes the principal objectof the invention. Other objects and advantages not at this timeenumerated will readily suggest themselves as the following descriptionensues.

The invention consists in the several novel features which arehereinafter described and are more particularly pointed out by theclaims at the conclusion hereof.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings forming a part of thisspecification, one illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view taken transversely through oneside of a concrete wall form in the vicinity of a tie rod andillustrating the manner of initial application of the torque wrench tothe protruding end of a she-bolt which extends through said one side ofthe concrete wall form and has its inner end connected by a screw threadconnection to the adjacent end of the concrete-embedded tie rod;

FIG. la is a fragmentary perspective view of the distal end region ofthe she-bolt which with the tongue wrench forms the combination orassembly constituting the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the torque wrench of theassembly showing the same operatively poised with respect to theadjacent protruding end of the associated concrete-embedded she-boltpreparatory to engaging the same for torque application and consequentunthreading of the she-bolt from its associated concrete-embedded tierod;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the torquewrench interlocked with the she-bolt immediately prior to torqueapplication;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3 but, showing theshe-bolt withdrawn from the concrete and the concrete-embedded tie rod,the. she-bolt remaining captured by the torque wrench;

FIG. Sis an enlarged front perspective view of the torque wrench;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the vertical plane 6-6of FIG. 5 and in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the torque wrench;

FIG. 8 is an endv view of the torque wrench;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section,illustrating schematically the relative positions of the torque wrenchand the she-bolt after initial application of the wrench to the she-boltbut before interlocking between the two takes place; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary side elevational view similar to FIG. 9 butshowing the torque wrench and the she-bolt in their interlockedrelationship with the former loosely hung 38 on the latter.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to FIG. 1, afragmentary portion of a concrete wall form in the vicinity of one endof a tie rod assembly is shown, the view being a transverse sectionthrough one side of the wall form. It will be understood, of course,that the other side of the form may be substantially identical to theillustrated wall form side and that each side embodies a series ofupstanding plywood or other panels 10 which are maintained in theirspaced-apart relationship by a series of tie rod assemblies, each ofwhich includes a medial tie rod 12 and a pair of outer she-bolts 14, butone she-bolt being shown in FIG. 1. Except for a minor detail which willbe described subsequently. the single tie rod assembly which isillustrated herein is conventional or standard, each she-bolt being inthe form of an elongated steel member having a tapered rear section 16and a cylindrical front section 17. The rear or inner end of the taperedsection of the illustrated she-bolt 14 is provided with a screw-threadedsocket 18 (See FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) for threaded reception of the adjacentthreaded end 20 of the tie rod 12. The tie rod assembly spans thedistance between the two sides of the concrete wall form, the tie rod 12of the assembly assuming a medial position wholly contained within thewall form, while each she-bolt projects outwardly through a hole 22 inthe associated plywood panel 10 so that the outer end of the cylindricalfront section 17 is accessible outside the form. In order to secure theillustrated she-bolt 14 to the adjacent form side, it is customary toemploy a horizontally disposed stud 24 which, if desired, may extendvertically instead of horizontally, the stud being provided with a bore26 in alignment with the hole 22 in the panel 10, and the outerextremity of the cylindrical front section of the she-bolt l4 projectingoutwardly beyond both the hole 22 and the bore 26. A fiat metal backingplate 28, which is secured by nails 30 to the outer face of the stud 4,also is formed with a hole 32 through which the outer end portion of theshe-bolt projects.

With a conventional she-bolt, a wide variety of means are employed foranchoring the she-bolt to the stud 24 and its backing plate 28, butaccording to the present invention and in order to facilitate theapplication of torque to the she-bolt 14 for rotational purposes bymeans of a special torque wrench embodying the present invention and thenature of which will be made clear presently, the outer extremity of thecylindrical front section 17 of the she-bolt is formed with-a buttonlikehead 34 (see FIG. 1a) which is spaced from the main body portion of theshe-bolt by a flat-sided web 36, the latter being formed by two oppositecutout or relief areas. This web and its associated button head areadapted for cooperation with a suitable fork-type wedge (not shown)which straddies the flat web 36 and exerts a spreading influence againstthe head 34 and the backing plate 28 in a manner well known in the art.Exemplary of one form of wedge which may be used for this purpose isthat which is shown and described in my copending U.S. Pat. applicationSer. No. 823,308, filed on May 9, 1969 and entitled "WALER BRACKET FOR ACONCRETE WALL FORM.

The aforementioned flat web 36 and its adjacent or associated buttonhead 34 are designed for cooperation with a special torque wrench whichis designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 40 and is shownin detail in FIG. 2 of the drawings. It will be understood that afterthe concrete wall form has been erected and wet concrete poured betweenthe two form sides and allowed to harden so as to produce the wall W ofFIG. I, the tie rod 12 will remain completely embedded in the concretewall while the she-bolts 14 at the opposite sides of the wall willproject outwardly through the holes 22, the bores 26 and the holes 32while the webs 36 and the button heads 34 will be exposed forcooperation with the wrench 40 by means of which the she-bolts may beunthreaded from the threaded ends of the concrete-embedded tie rod 12and thus extracted from the hardened concrete wall to release the formsides for dismantling purposes. The concrete-embedded portions of theshe-bolts 14, that is, the rear sections 16, being tapered or of conicalconfiguration as shown in FIGS. 1,2,3 and 4, are capable of beingrotated for removal of the shebolts from the embedded tie rod 12, whilethe tie rod 12 is provided with radial flanges 42 (see FIGS. 2,3 and 4)which prevent turning the tie rod in the concrete during unthreading ofthe she-bolts 14 therefrom. The flanges 42 also serve the purpose oflimiting the threaded extent of the she-bolts onto the threaded ends ofthe tie rod.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 2, The torque wrench 40 is in theform of a solid cylindrical body 44 which is provided near the forwardor distal end thereof with a transversely extending notch 46 (see alsoFIGS. and 11) having a flat bottom wall 48, a radial flat rear wall 50,and a radial flat front wall 52. The latter is divided by a second andlongitudinally extending notch 54 (se FIG. 4) which intersects the notch46. The longitudinal notch 54 establishes two opposed, spacedapartarcuate fork tines 56 which present opposed flat jaw faces 58 (see FIG.2).

The front end face 60 of the cylindrical body 44 of the torque wrench 40is provided with a cylindrical socket 62, the diameter of which issubstantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical section 17 of theshe-bolt 14. The socket 62 intersects the longitudinal slot 54 as bestseen in FIGS. 7 and 8.

The proximate end of the cylindrical body 44 is provided with a fixedmanipulating handle 64 (see FIGS. 5 to 8, inclusive) in the form of anL-shaped member having a leg 66 which projects in diametric fashionthrough a transverse bore 67 in the body 44, and a laterally turned leg68 which extends parallel to the axis of the body 44 and overhangs therear end of the latter. The leg 68 constitutes a crank arm by means ofwhich a rotating or spinning motion may be imparted to the torque wrenchas a whole for she-bolt removal purposes in a manner that will bedescribed in detail subsequently. Preferably, the leg 66 is welded tothe body 44 as indicated at 70 (se FIG. 6) in order to maintain a fixedorientation of the crank arm 68 with respect to the body 44.

As is customary when dismantling a concrete wall form such as the formwhich is fragmentarily shown in FIG. 1, the shebolts 14 are removed fromtheir partially embedded position in the wall W before the form sidesare dismantled and stripped from the side surfaces of the concrete wall.According to the present invention, removal of any given she-bolt isaccomplished by causing the torque wrench 40 to approach the protrudingend region of the she-bolt I4 endwise as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2and then, when the longitudinally extending notch 54 at the forward endof the wrench body 44 becomes transversely aligned with the web 56 ofthe she-bolt as shown in FIG. 2, the wrench is shifted laterally bodilyas a whole as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2 so that the web 56 entersthe notch 54 and the opposed fork tines 56 straddle the web as shown inboth FIGS. 2 and 9. At this time, the opposed flat sides of the notch 54engage the opposite sides of the web 36 so that a driving connection isattained between the torque wrench as a whole and the she-bolt 14.However, before actual rotation of the torque wrench is commenced, thewrench is pushed forwardly a slight distance so that the portion of thecylindrical section 17 of the shebolt that is directly rearwards of thenotch 46 enters the socket 62 in the front end face 60 of the wrench asshown in FIGS. 3 and 10. At this time, the inner end face of the buttonhead 34 on the she-bolt 12 engages the flat bottom. wall 50 of thetransversely extending notch 46. With this relative positioning of thetorque wrench 40 and the she-bolt 12, the two parts are interlocked insuch a manner that the operator may release the torque wrench and thelatter will remain on the she-bolt in a hanging position as shown inFIG. 10 so that the operator may shift his grip from the body portion ofthe wrench to the crank arm 68 for she-bolt unthreading operationswithout having to use both hands.

Actual unthreading of the she-bolt 14 is accomplished by a spinningoperation wherein the crank arm is revolved about the axis of theshe-bolt with a cranking motion in a counterclockwise direction asindicated by the arrow in FIG. 3. Due to the presence of the radial fins42 on the tie rod 12, the latter is held against rotation or turning inthe concrete of the wall W within which it is embedded. However, theshe-bolt 14, having a smooth circular cross-sectional configuration allpoints along its longitudinal extent, is free to rotate in the hardenedconcrete under the influence of torque application by the torque wrench40.

After the she-bolt 14 has been unthreaded from the tie rod 12, axialmovement of the torque wrench 40 will initially withdraw the cylindricalsection 17 from the socket 62 while the button head 34 will move intocontact with the sidewall 52 of the transversely extending notch 46 asshown in dotted lines in FIG. 9 so that a pulling action is applied tothe she-bolt by the torque wrench, thus withdrawing the former from thesocket or void which is established in the concrete by such removal ofthe she-bolt. The torque wrench 40 may be utilized for the successiveremoval of the various she-bolts 14 which are associated with theconcrete wall form and, thereafter, the form sides are freed forstripping from the side surfaces of the concrete wall.

It is obvious that the torque wrench may also be employed in a mannersimilar to that described above for initial threading of the she-boltsonto the ends of the tie rod 12, the wrenchspinning operation, ofcourse, taking place in a clockwise direction.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of partswhich are shown in the accompanying drawings or described in thisspecification as various changes in the details of construction may beresorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a concrete wall form, in combination, a tie rod assernblyincluding a tie rod adapted for embedment in the concrete wall resultingfrom such form, and a she-bolt threadedly connected to the outer end ofthe tie rod and having a cylindrical portion adapted to projectoutwardly from one side of the wall and also adapted, upon rotation inone direction, to become unthreaded from the tie rod for extractionpurposes, said projecting cylindrical portion being provided with a flatweb adjacent its extreme outer end defining a terminal button headoutwardly of web, and a torque wrench for rotating said she-bolt in saidone direction, said torque wrench comprising an elongated cylindricalbody portion having a crank arm adjacent to its proximate end, andhaving a transverse notch adjacent to its distal end and a longitudinalnotch extending inwards from said distal end and intersecting saidtransverse notch, thus defining a pair of laterally extending fork tinesadapted to straddle said web in driving relationship when the buttonhead is disposed in said transverse notch and the she-bolt and bodyportion are in coaxial relationship, the distal end of said cylindricalbody being formed with a cylindrical socket having a diameter slightlygreater than the diameter of the body portion of the she-bolt,thelongitudinal extent of said transverse notch being greater than thatof the button head, and the depth of said socket being less than thewidth of the fork tines in a longitudinal direction, thus providing abottom wall for the socket, said wrench being capable of limited axialshifting movement with respect to the she-bolt between an initialposition wherein said fork tines straddle the web, the button head is inclose proximity to the fork tines and the cylindrical body portion ofthe tie rod is disposed exteriorly of said socket, and a terminalposition wherein the fork tines also straddle the web, the button headis remote from the fork tines, and the outer end of the cylindrical bodyportion of the tie rod is disposed within the socket.

1. In a concrete wall form, in combination, a tie rod assembly includinga tie rod adapted for embedment in the concrete wall resulting from suchform, and a she-bolt threadedly connected to the outer end of the tierod and having a cylindrical portion adapted to project outwardly fromone side of the wall and also adapted, upon rotation in one direction,to become unthreaded from the tie rod for extraction purposes, saidprojecting cylindrical portion being provided with a flat web adjacentits extreme outer end defining a terminal button head outwardly of web,and a torque wrench for rotating said she-bolt in said one direction,said torque wrench comprising an elongated cylindrical body portionhaving a crank arm adjacent to its proximate end, and having atransverse notch adjacent to its distal end and a longitudinal notchextending inwards from said distal end and intersecting said transversenotch, thus defining a pair of laterally extending fork tines adapted tostraddle said web in driving relationship when the button head isdisposed in said transverse notch and the she-bolt and body portion arein coaxial relationship, the distal end of said cylindrical body beingformed with a cylindrical socket having a diameter slightly greater thanthe diameter of the body portion of the she-bolt, the longitudinalextent of said transverse notch being greater than that of the buttonhead, and the depth of said socket being less than the width of the forktines in a longitudinal direction, thus providing a bottom wall for thesocket, said wrench being capable of limited axial shifting movementwith respect to the she-bolt between an initial position wherein saidfork tines straddle the web, the button head is in close proximity tothe fork tines and the cylindrical body portion of the tie rod isdisposed exteriorly of said socket, and a terminal position wherein thefork tines also straddle the web, the button head is remote from thefork tines, and the outer end of the cylindrical body portion of the tierod is disposed within the socket.